Health technology incubator Hyperfine Research and the Yale School of Medicine are testing out a first-of-its-kind, portable MRI scanner in the neuro intensive care unit (ICU).

The point-of-care system, designed by Hyperfine, is being deployed at the bedside of patients in what the company views as the first step toward creating greater access and availability of the modality for patients anywhere at any time.

Yale New Haven Hospital is the first hospital to use the Hyperfine MRI system on patients, as part of a 2-year study in conjunction with the American Heart Association.

This study aims to overcome barriers that have prevented the routine use of MRI on unstable neurology ICU patients who cannot be transported.

Yale School of Medicine is helping test the clinical workflow, user interface, and image quality of Hyperfine’s MRI system.

Yale has been using the Hyperfine POC MRI to scan patients with known brain pathology including hemorrhages, ischemic stroke, hematomas, tumors, and edema.

As a comparison, they are also collecting anonymized versions of standard-of-care MRI and CT scans of the same patients.

To date, Yale has completed 138 brain MRI exams of 123 patients with known, acute neuropathology, as well as ischemic stroke, hematomas, tumors, and hydrocephalus.

Preliminary findings of the research are expected to be announced in early 2020.

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